.. There are a number of growth references available for children internationally but in 2006 the World health organization published growth standards for children 0 60 months. These growth standards have been adopted even by the developed countries though with some modifications. This article discusses the various aspects of growth standards including plotting of charts and their interpretation.

BACKGROUND In 2006, the Médecins sans Frontières nutritional program in the region of Maradi (Niger) included 68,001 children 6-59 months of age with either moderate or severe malnutrition, according to the NCHS reference (weight-for-height<80% of the NCHS median, and/or mid-upper arm circumference<110 mm for children taller than 65 cm and/or presence of bipedal edema). Our objective was to ide...

Data from 3 recently completed studies were pooled and analyzed to answer the question whether breastfed infants of overweight/obese mothers show accelerated growth. It was shown that these infants gain weight faster than indicated by the WHO standards and that they grow significantly faster than infants of lean mothers. The question whether fast infant growth can be slowed down by lowering the...

OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to report on socioeconomic inequality in childhood malnutrition in the developing world, to provide evidence for an association between socioeconomic inequality and the average level of malnutrition, and to draw attention to different patterns of socioeconomic inequality in malnutrition. METHODS Both stunting and wasting were measured using new WHO ...

BACKGROUND Surveys in Vietnam have indicated that wasting and stunting have been prevalent among children, but the country is undergoing rapid socio-economic changes and little has been known about the relative situation in the different areas of the country. In 2006, the WHO introduced new growth standards applicable to all infant and child populations, which facilitates for improved assessmen...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to present weight and height percentiles for Turkish children aged 0-84 months residing in Kayseri, Turkey and to compare these findings with national references and international standards. METHODS We used the data from the Anthropometry of Turkish Children aged 0-6 years (ATCA-06) study. This cross-sectional study conducted in Kayseri/Turkey between Septe...